The School Leavers initiative aims to highlight senior industry figures who did not go to university to inspire more young people to consider the financial services sector.
This is the second year that this initiative has run and it was launched off the back of events and podcasts focusing on social mobility.
The full list is as follows:
- Andy Golding, CEO of OSB Group
- Beth Foryszewski, national account manager at Landbay
- Dan Maskell, managing director of Finance Planning Group
- Emily Hollands, group head of distribution at OSB Group
- Emma Hollingworth, chief distribution officer at LSL Financial Services
- Jason Berry, group sales director at Crystal Specialist Finance
- John Philips, CEO of Just Mortgages
- Jon Stones, managing director at Mortgage 1st
- Karen Rodrigues, chief sales officer at Market Financial Solutions
- Lee Chiswell, head of mortgages at Barclays
- Leigh Church, head of BM Solutions at Lloyds Banking Group
- Lesley Cappellaro, regional manager for Barclays
- Nadine Edwards, head of NatWest Intermediary distribution
- Nicholas Mendes, head of marketing at John Charcol
- Peter Brodnicki, chief executive of Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB)
- Phil Rickards, chairperson of L&C Mortgages
- Rachael Hunnisett, director of mortgage distribution at April Mortgages
- Richard Pike, chief sales and marketing officer at Phoebus
- Rob Barnard, intermediary relationship director at Pepper Money
- Toni Smith, director at Sesame
Bharat Sagar, chair of DIFF, said: “This came from the DIFF events, articles and podcasts on the topic of social mobility. Last year, we put together a collection of successful people in the industry to underline both the welcoming nature of the industry but also the equity from a social mobility perspective, showcasing people who didn’t have tertiary education and didn’t get where they are from joining graduate schemes.
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“It got huge traction, and so we put together another one. People from all parts of the industry. The aim is to inspire young people who are either choosing not to go to university or feel that financial services require degree-level education to succeed.”
He confirmed that DIFF was already working on its 2026 edition.
